I have to admit I have always been a pretty huge fan of tilt shift photos. With the soft focus edges tilt sift images really draw you into the image and can be used very creatively in many different types of photography. I have never photographed a wedding with a tilt shift recently when I got my hands on the Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 lens and was pretty amazed at what this lens can do.

I am going to give a quick review of the lens but before wanted to give a brief overview of what Tilt shift lenses are. Before 35mm cameras there were larger view cameras that held 4″x5″ or 8″x10″ negatives. These camera’s had a lens in front with a bellows that connected the lens to the back of the camera where the film was held. Since you had this moveable bellows the plate that held the lens could move up and down and side to side. Because of that the plane of the lens and the plane of the film could not be parallel which can create some interesting results with depth of field, focus and perspective.

You can also use a tilt shift lens for architectural photos when shifting the lens to correct perspective of buildings.

If you want to check out some amazing images of tilt shift photos check out these 2 posts:

Amazing tilt shift photos

Some great tilt shift portraits

Canon TS E 24mm Tilt Shift Lens Review

Now back to the 24 TS-E tilt shift lens. Canon really revolutionized things when they created 3 different Tilt-Shift (TS-E) lenses back in 1993. Back then they introduced a 90mm f/2.8, 45mm f/2.8, and 24mm f/3.5L. This year they have released 2 new additions, a 17mm f/4.0 L and a improved 24mm f/3.5L II. I recently checked out the Canon TS E 24mm Tilt Shift lens and here is my quick review. First since I mainly shoot weddings and portraits I didn’t really test out the shift part of the lens which is more used for architectural photography. I really wanted to test out the tilting of the lens to get that cool narrow slice of focus. The Canon TS-E 24mm is a easy lens to operate but does take some getting used to compared to a regular lens. First you have a knob on the top of the lens that you can tun to “tilt” the lens, this starts to rotate the lens at an angle. The lens rotates pretty fluid so if you want to lock it in the normal position you have to remember to use the lock switch on the bottom of the lens. A few times I kept forgetting to lock the lens and when moving the camera vertical for a shot the lens would start to move. That along with the fact that its a manual focus lens will take you some getting used to at first. I personally love to shoot at high apertures so shot a lot at f/3.5 with this. That shallow depth of field along with tilting the lens did create many images that I missed the focus spot I was going for. It might be best to use different focus screen to make sure your focus is accurate.

Once you get the hang of the controls this lens is pretty awesome. The creative controls that you have when tilting the lens are so much fun and really inspired me to shoot as much as I could with this lens for the few days I had it. Here are a few images with the tilt at its max.

The sharpness of this lens was great, it’s a typical Canon L series lens and I had no complaints with the quality of the glass and build of the lens. My only complaint is similar to many great things with photography, its not a cheap lens and will run you just a little over $2000. For me it’s a tricky choice, I think this lens is awesome however its similar to a fisheye in my line of work. I would use it for a few shots a wedding but definitely don’t want to overdo it, so for a lens that you only use for a few shots and not a staple like a 70-200 L lens its difficult to spend that much. Right now there are no cheaper alternatives unless you go with a very inexpensive solution like a lensbaby.

I rented this camera from BorrowLenses, you can check it out here if you want to take the lens for a spin: Canon TS-E 24mm Tilt Shift

For anyone interested in the technical specifications of the Canon TS-E 24mm II

Overall it is an awesome lens and I was more than impressed with it. Great quality and the extra creative ability you have with tilting the lens really makes this a stand out lens in my mind. If it was just a little bit more affordable it would be a no brainer to add to my camera bag. Now just have to book some more weddings!

You can get the lens on Amazon here: Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II Ultra Wide Tilt-Shift Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

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One look I have always loved that can give your portraits that unique edge is using a Tilt-Shift lens (or photoshop method) to create portraits with. There are so many cool things you can do with Tilt-Shift lenses, from creating miniature landscapes to really cool portraits. For portraits tilt shift lenses can really create a powerful image by focusing the viewers eye on a certain part of the shot and controlling depth of field in a unreal type of way. Check out these awesome tilt-shift portraits for a little Monday inspiration.

Also if you want to check out some cool examples of Tilt-Shift photography for cityscapes and landscapes, check out this collection: 10 amazing examples of tilt shift photography. And if you want a quick tutorial on how to make a tilt-shift looking photo using Photoshop check this out: How to make a tilt-shift photo in Photoshop.

Do you have a great tilt-shift photo to share? Head over to our facebook page and post one on our wall: http://www.facebook.com/digitalphotobuzz

And for all you DSLR movie shooters out there, tilt shift lenses aren’t just for still images. They can make pretty cool movie clips from your shoots as well:

Tilt shift photography has been around for ages but has recently made a comeback as a popular way of shooting (or doing the effect in Photoshop). “Tilt-shift photography” refers to the use of camera movements on small- and medium-format cameras, and sometimes specifically refers to the use of tilt for selective focus, often for simulating a miniature scene. Sometimes the term is used when the shallow depth of field is simulated with digital postprocessing, but the name does come from tilt-shift lens normally required when the effect is produced in camera. We will do a tutorial on how to get a tilt-shift look in Photoshop later on but for now check out some great examples of tilt shift photography.

Photo by kennymatic

Photo by isayx3

Photo by roevin

photo by californiabirdy

photo by 27147

photo by Jason Hawkes

photo by soulmotions

photo by timothysschenck

photo by wakeboy

photo by Benj Haisch

Also for anyone who wants to get this effect with your iPhone there is an awesome iPhone app out. It’s on our top 10 list of apps here: Top 10 list of photography iPhone apps.

If you like our articles remember to share them on Facebook, Twitter or +1 them on Google. I appreciate you spreading the word to your photo friends! Also remember to always start a conversation by leaving a Facebook comment at the bottom of the page. I love to hear from you.

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